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At this stage of the bidding, it had become clear that the VIP in Box 3 understood something about the dark stone's significance.
Otherwise, they would never have offered twenty million for an item whose purpose remained unknown to most.
Jacob had already prepared himself for a financial battle. If absolutely necessary, he could sell some of his unused Mega Stones and Dream Mirror Fruits to raise additional funds.
Of course, if even that proved insufficient, Jacob would have to resort to Plan B—using extraordinary measures in an extraordinary situation.
No matter what happened, the dark stone absolutely could not fall into anyone else's hands.
Zekrom was like a nuclear weapon. If such a powerful force wasn't under his own control, he wouldn't be able to rest easy, day or night.
"Friend, slowly increasing the price like this serves no purpose," a husky voice called out from Box 3. "One hundred million. If your bid exceeds this amount, then the item is yours."
One hundred million!
This price made everyone's breath catch in their throats. No one had expected that the highest bid in the entire auction would be for this mysterious stone.
Sylvia glanced at Jacob nervously, her own breathing becoming rapid.
"Bid," Jacob said without a moment's hesitation.
Hearing Jacob's command, Sylvia announced the price with a trembling voice: "One hundred million and one hundred thousand."
"One hundred million and one hundred thousand!" The auctioneer's high-pitched voice rang out, his hand gripping the gavel beginning to shake uncontrollably.
"One hundred million and one hundred thousand! Going once!"
"One hundred million and one hundred thousand! Going twice!"
"One hundred million and one hundred thousand! Going three times!"
"Bang!"
"Let us congratulate the VIP from Box 16 for successfully acquiring this auction item for one hundred million and one hundred thousand!"
The wooden gavel fell, marking Jacob's successful acquisition of the dark stone.
Jacob couldn't stop smiling, which left Sylvia feeling utterly bewildered.
Spending a hundred million on such a stone, and Jacob was still grinning from ear to ear? How could he look like he'd made the deal of a lifetime?
What exactly was this stone?
...
Inside Box 3, an elderly man, a young man, and two bodyguards sat together.
"We've confirmed his identity," the old man in a suit said, bowing slightly. "The buyer is named Ian, from Treasure Island. He's a wealthy businessman with connections to a nephew of the Su family. It's highly likely that his purchase of this item was made at the Su family's request."
"The Su family?" The young man sitting on the sofa sneered dismissively.
"Layton is already dead. The Su family isn't what it used to be."
"Besides, a dragon doesn't terrorize its own territory. When they come to Black Dragon City, we'll show them who really runs things here."
"Keep watch on them. We'll make our move after they leave Black Dragon City. We must obtain that item."
...
After successfully bidding for the dark stone, Jacob glanced toward Box 3. He knew the other party wouldn't give up so easily, but so what? He was no longer the weak person he'd been before—someone who could be manipulated and forced to hide whenever danger appeared.
If they truly dared to make a move against him, Jacob wouldn't mind teaching them a profound lesson.
After the dramatic bidding for the dark stone, the auction proceeded more quickly, with one precious item after another being brought to the stage. Jacob hadn't placed another bid since acquiring the dark stone.
He was patiently waiting for the final segment—the most valuable intelligence trades.
Both the whereabouts of Zapdos and information about the Giant Pokémon were things he desperately needed.
...
"Distinguished guests, we are now entering everyone's favorite segment: the slave and intelligence trades. Let's examine the first auction item."
As the host's voice rang out, a USB drive was brought onto the stage.
"This USB drive contains the complete video recording of the King's sinking incident from several days ago, as well as partial information on the Regieleki Trainer and the Giant Lapras."
"While the authenticity of this information cannot be entirely guaranteed, its credibility is extremely high. I can share some preliminary details about these two Trainers with you now."
"The Regieleki Trainer's nickname is Preist-3. I suspect many of you are unfamiliar with the Gods Coffin organization. This USB drive contains information about that group as well."
"Information on the Giant Lapras Trainer is relatively scarce, but I can reveal one detail: his nickname is Giovanni, a piece of intelligence that originated from overseas."
"Starting bid is zero. Each subsequent bid must be no less than five hundred thousand. I guarantee, on the Underground Black Market's decades of reputation, that this information is unique. There are no copies or records, nor will a second copy of this intelligence ever be released from the Underground Black Market."
...
Listening to the host's announcement, Sylvia glanced at Jacob from the corner of her eye. She knew better than anyone who the Giant Lapras Trainer truly was.
Naturally, Jacob wouldn't bid on such information.
After five minutes of competitive bidding, the information was ultimately purchased by a VIP in one of the private boxes.
...
"The next auction item should prove very interesting to all of you." The host's mouth curved upward beneath his mask, and he clapped his hands sharply. Soon, two Machamp pushed a glass case covered with a curtain onto the stage.
The host held the microphone in one hand and pulled the black curtain aside with the other, revealing a lavishly dressed woman.
The woman's hands and feet were bound, her eyes covered with a blindfold, her face adorned with elaborate makeup, her mouth completely sealed with tape, and her figure noticeably curvaceous.
"I believe many of you recognize her. This is Anna, a famous overseas internet celebrity with over one million followers on social media. Some time ago, a client paid a deposit to purchase her."
"According to our agreement, we went to considerable lengths to acquire her. However, the client chose to terminate the contract due to personal reasons and refused to pay the remaining balance. Therefore, to minimize our losses, we had no choice but to auction Anna off."
"I can assure all of you that since Anna arrived here, we have not mistreated or harmed her in any way."
"You may now bid with confidence. The starting price is one hundred thousand, and each bid must be no less than one hundred thousand. Opportunities like this are rare—normally, you wouldn't be able to purchase an internet celebrity with a million followers at such a low price."
...
"Two hundred thousand!"
"Five hundred thousand!"
"Seven hundred thousand!"
Jacob watched the frenzied bidding crowd with disbelief. This made him realize that, sure enough, no matter which world you lived in, there were always twisted people.
The business scope of this Underground Black Market was far too broad—they even dealt in living human beings.
...
"Bang!"
"Let us congratulate the VIP from Box 3 for purchasing Anna for two million! We wish you an unforgettable evening."
"Hahaha!" The hall erupted in laughter that only men would understand.
...
Many more slaves were auctioned off following Anna, but without exception, they were all foreigners—not a single person from the region. This made Jacob think deeply. Perhaps this was the survival strategy of Black Dragon City's Underground Black Market.
"Distinguished guests, the auction is drawing to a close. We have only four items remaining. Guests who haven't purchased what they wanted yet, please seize this opportunity. Up for auction next is intelligence—information about Zapdos."
"Starting price is ten million. Each bid must be no less than one million. I guarantee, on the Underground Black Market's decades of reputation, that this information is unique. There are no copies or records, nor will a second copy of this intelligence ever be released from the Underground Black Market."
"If you do not find traces of Zapdos within one month of traveling to the location specified in this information, we will provide a full refund. For those who wish to capture a Legendary Pokémon—"
"Fifty million."
Before the host could finish his announcement, Jacob immediately called out an extremely high price, directly stunning everyone present.
"The VIP from Box 16 has bid fifty million! Is there anyone willing to bid higher than fifty million?"